L.A. Archdiocese Mails 1st Issue of Spanish-Language Paper

The first issue of a Spanish-language newspaper was mailed this week by the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese to 110,000 Latino households in what Archbishop Roger M. Mahony termed “something completely revolutionary in Catholic journalism.”

The 24-page tabloid, Vida Nueva, or New Life in English, contains both secular and religious news--”always from a Catholic perspective,” Mahony said. Starting out as a biweekly, it will become a weekly in June, he said.

“With its debut,” Mahony said, “Vida Nueva immediately becomes the largest Spanish-language newspaper published by the Catholic Church in the United States and one of the largest Spanish-language publications in Southern California.” Spanish-language, Catholic-run papers in Florida, Chicago and the District of Columbia have much smaller circulations, he said.

Mahony said the archdiocese intends to mail and distribute the advertising-supported newspaper free to as many Spanish-speaking homes--Catholic and non-Catholic--as can be located in the Los Angeles archdiocese covering Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

“We anticipate that our problem will be containing the advertising,” the archbishop said. “Advertisers are eager to reach this audience.”

The first issue had articles about the furor caused by the videotape that showed Rodney G. King being beaten by Los Angeles police officers during an arrest, Latino servicemen returning from the Persian Gulf War, the election of Gloria Molina to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, water rationing and sports, including short profiles of 11 Latino players on the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training roster.